Back to stock plans

Olympic to Half IM Bridge - 12 Week Training Plan

Plan description Plan workouts calendar volume graph
Send to my training log

Print Olympic to Half Ironman Bridge Triathlon Training Plan - 12 Week

author : mikericci
comments : 0

Who is the plan for?

This program should be used for an athlete who is coming off an Olympic Distance Race and:

  1. They have a very strong base of 4-6 months of consistent training

  2. They have a strong swim or run background

  3. They have trained for at least 10-12 hours per week

This program is an advanced plan to bridge you from an Olympic Distance triathlon to a Half Ironman with the confidence that you can complete the race without difficulty.

This program can also be used to lead you into the D3 Ironman Distance plan.

Plan schedule

The schedule consists of at least 3 workouts per week in each sport, 2 days of strength training and core work too. Most weeks have 4 days of cycling. The maximum volume is 14 hours in week 5 and most of the weeks are 12-13 hours with the easier weeks at 9 hours +/-.
 

Heart-Rate training

This plan uses heart-rate training zones for intensity specific training.  There are also a few weeks with some additional testing in this plan, see See 'Related Links' at bottom for testing protocol and how to determine and setup your heart-rate zones. 


Background requirements

You should be able to swim at least 1,500 yards in a workout. You should be able to bike at least one hour, and run at least 75 minutes. If you are a weak swimmer or runner, you can certainly do the best you can on your weaker events but its best if you are already up to the base fitness levels suggested. 


If you already excel in one of the sports

If you have a cycling or running background and feel the need to add volume to the program, you are welcome to do that as well.

If you are deficient in the sports

On the opposite extreme if you feel as though you need help in one area or the other, you may want to drop a workout that you are strong in, and add an extra where you are weaker. If you feel the need to add a swim lesson in place of a swim workout on the schedule, by all means take the swim lesson and don’t feel the need to make up the missed swim workout.
 

Weight Training and Core Strength
The program that I am using this time around is adapted from The Training Bible and has been tweaked to include some exercises that I think are important. The program should be fairly balanced between core and strength training.

 

Good Luck in your 1/2 Ironman Distance Triathlon!
Train Smart,
Mike Ricci
www.D3Multisport.com
USAT Level II Coach
USAC Expert Coach

Author


mikericci

Author

Related articles